Arson investigators said someone intentionally set the fire in the back of the house from the outside and that Alvarez reported the fire and was one of the first firefighters on the scene to help put out the blaze.

But now, he’s being investigated for that house fire and other fire calls he’s made to authorities.

Criminologist Casey Jordan studies profiles of arsonists. She said most volunteer firefighters accused of arson fall into the fire buff category.

“It’s very common to confuse the hero with the fire buff,” said Jordan. “They won’t endanger a human life intentionally but they always report the fire. They want the credit.”

Emily Smith joined CBS 2 in April 2011 as a general assignment reporter.
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Smith joined the station after spending a year as a business reporter for CBS MoneyWatch as well as a fill-in anchor on CBS News’ “Up To the Minute”....